Sensitization about the deadly coronavirus should increase – Dr. Joseph Donkor

Medical Director at the Manhean Polyclinic, Dr. Joseph Donkor, has urged the major stakeholders in health within the country to keep educating the public about the deadly coronavirus.

In an interview with GhanaWeb, Dr. Donkor stated that educating the public about the virus will enable them to take the right steps to avoid spreading it if cases are reported in Ghana.

“We need to educate the public, so we need to do a lot of sensitization at churches, in schools and public gatherings in the aim of trying to empower the people for them to know what they are supposed to do if they should come across any of these signs and symptoms,” he said.

According to him, the rate at which the disease is spreading is very alarming, and as such more people should be given the opportunity to learn about the best ways to prevent being infected as well as infecting others.

“What is happening is that the disease is spreading so fast, more education needs to be done, people are unaware, and so we need to do more sensitization. More churches are supposed to be involved, and more traditional leaders are supposed to be involved,” he said.

Dr. Joseph Donkor counselled that, anyone showing signs of the virus should quickly go to the nearest medical centre for aid.

“The signs and symptoms are like common cold. With this disease, these symptoms show up and then it gets worse, so you start to have difficulty in breathing, your kidney fails, you have diarrhoea and the person can die. If anyone shows any of these symptoms like cough, cold, sneezing, headaches, and fever, the person should quickly report to the facility as soon as possible for further clarification and assessment to be done, and especially people who have travelled outside the country,” he concluded.

He however strongly debunked some myths about the virus, such as claims that the use dettol and chewing of garlic can help prevent it, cautioning the public to desist from following those wrong instructions.

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